Westmont Golf hosted the Westmont Invitational at Sandpiper Golf Club on Monday and Tuesday and came away with some hardware.

Peyton Hendricks won the men’s individual event to help lead the Warriors to a first-place team finish as well.

Hendricks posted a four-under-par 140 for 36 holes to outpace UC Santa Barbara’s Matt Monheim by two strokes. The sophomore shot a 68 in Monday’s round and turned in a 72 on Tuesday.

“Peyton did a good job of closing today and of being patient,” Westmont head coach Josh Ault said. “Peyton hit a nine-iron into a par five because he hit his drive so far. It is almost like cheating because of how far he hits his drive.

“He did a good job of grinding it out, making 30-foot lag putts and then tapping in for par without trying to make the birdie putt. His patience allowed him to use his length in the par five and have tap in birdies. He did a great job of sticking to his game. He is incredibly talented.”

“It is always fun to win a home tournament,” Hendricks said. “After hole four, I found my swing and started to get it under control. That is when a couple of putts started rolling in. From there, it was get done with the back nine and get in.

“Going into hole 14 and 15, I had a lead by one. So, I knew I needed to make a little bit of a move just to feel comfortable. Both times, I hit massive drives, then a wedge shot and a couple of putts for a couple of birdies coming down the stretch.

“It came down to 18. I didn’t know what the lead was and coach didn’t want to tell me. Once I got to 18, it was par and walk away. I hit a good wedge shot to about 12 feet and it was easy from there.”

Andrew Knight finished tied for fourth with a two-over 146. He posted a score of 73 on each day. Noah Lodweyk tied for 12th place with a 151 (76, 75) while freshman Trevor Moquin tied for 14 with a 154 (77, 77).

“When Andy is playing well, you can absolutely count on him,” Ault said. “He is the most dependable player. He is steady.

“When you have a guy like Peyton who wins the golf tournament and you also have a guy like Andy who is capable and has also won tournaments, you can count on him to be the guy that is going to close it for the team.

“Noah is playing some great golf right now – which is awesome – and Trevor has been steady for us. Those two are a huge part of the team’s win. The three and four guys are the heartbeat of the team.”

The Warriors outpaced second-place Academy of Art by seven strokes and also defeated Occidental and Chaminade.

“That felt really good,” Hendricks said about the win. “Finally getting a firm team win feels really good. We have a lot of talent. It is good to see that it is finally coming through.”

“In my time here, that was the highlight of the men’s program,” Ault said. “It was a big win. We had won some smaller two- or three-team events, but this felt bigger because it was our home. We defended our turf. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

The women’s team finished fifth in the tournament behind tournament champion Point Loma Nazarene, Cal State Monterey Bay, Academy of Art and Hawai’i Hilo. The Warriors finished ahead of Occidental.

“The women’s program is young and needs to grow,” Ault said. “I want to challenge them to invest more in the little things like lag putting, speed and strategy. They are capable golfers and we are having a great time together.”

Hannah Camara had the Warriors’ best finish, tying for sixth place with a nine-over 153. Mallory Hopper tied for 14th place with a score of 156.

“Hannah had a great round today, shooting two over as a freshman,” Ault said. “That is very encouraging. Mallory, who played as an individual, had our second-lowest round today (three over 75). She has been working hard and I am really proud of her.”

Both programs are scheduled to be back in action at the end of October when they travel north to take part in the Pacific Coast Highway Fall Invitational hosted by Menlo.

The event will take place on the 30th and 31st at the Quail Lodge Golf Club in Carmel.